Biography and Artist Statement

Christopher

Biography

Christopher Stangler is an award winning mixed media artist . His education includes a M.F.A. from the University of Buffalo and a B.F.A. from Rochester Institute of Technology. Stangler, a native of Buffalo, NY, has exhibited his environmentally based work throughout the US and locally at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Castellani Art Museum, Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery, the Kenan Center and the Anderson Gallery. His work is included in both public and private collections. He has won may prestigious awards, including two Gold Medal awards from the Buffalo Society of Artists, 1st place at the Allentown Art Festival, and has exhibited twice at the Albright-Knox biannual, “In Western New York”.

Stangler has participated in all aspects of the Art Community. He has judged many exhibitions and art festivals, such as the Allentown Art Festival, Art in the Park at the Burchfield Nature and Art Center, and the Lewiston Art Festival. He is a past president of the Buffalo Society of Artists and former Director of the Niagara County Community College art Gallery and a former Co-Director of the Market Street Gallery in Lockport, NY. He is currently the Co-Director of Stangler Fine Art. He has taught Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, and Design at SUNY Buffalo, Villa Maria College, Buffalo State College, Niagara County Community College, and Vermont College. As a Sculptor, he has designed site specific sculpture for various Buffalo art projects such as “Herd About Buffalo’, “Art Street/Main Street: Windows Project”, and Art on Wheels”. He has been commissioned twice to create work for the Eire Museum’s “Art Afloat” project located in the Erie, PA harbor.

Artist Statement

The landscape of my immediate environment provides the raw material and inspiration in my mixed media works. I use a wide range of artistic methods combined with carefully selected discarded elements or imagery taken from nature and industry. The structure and residual color of the discarded material is allowed to influence the formal and conceptual approach. This process of reusing or recycling in my work becomes a symbolic act of preservation. I use drawing and painting as a visual glue to integrate unexpected materials such as cardboard, refuse, or newspaper into a familiar landscape.

Ilania

Biography

Ilania received her B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University and her M.F.A. from SUNY Buffalo with a concentration in painting. After graduating in 2000 she has been showing in art festivals and galleries. She has won many awards, several Best of Shows, (Corning Art Fest, Mt. Gretna) as well as First Place in Painting (Allentown Art Festival, Syracuse, Cornhill) and other prestigious awards from Virginia Beach and Cainpark in Cleveland. She is also a Co-Director of Stangler Fine Art.

Artist Statement

My Painting’s evolve over a long period of time. As I work in my studio, the paintings are intuitive; I react to layers underneath as I build up the colors. I begin with an initial pour of liquified paint, then add and subtract layers of translucent color; building surfaces. I want my paintings to suggest landscape, narrative, and pure abstract painting. I pay attention to the formal aspects of composition; creating a rhythm with the repetition of shapes. The abstract organic shapes are balanced with not just geometric lines, but also patterns. I want to elevate patterns from bland decoration and incorporate them into my paintings. The patterns become the underlying structure, creating the movement in the compositions. The paintings are sensual and complex; bringing the viewer in close to make their own connections without the “Artist’s Intent” to guide them.